Chapter 25
Astrid groaned in pain as a headache was starting to form. She opened her eyes blearily only to see golden bars staring back at her. Astrid sat up and quickly walked to the bars. She saw the guys lying still on the floor but there wasn't any sign of Heather, Ruffnut and Fishlegs anywhere.
"Oh good you're awake." Astrid heard. She snapped her head towards the voice and saw that it was the woman Jun referred to as 'The Empress'.
"How can I even understand you!" Astrid asked surprised. The woman who had her white mask back on merely said "A translation spell."
"Now that I have your attention." The regally dressed woman stated. "I can finally have my beautiful form again."
"What?!" Astrid asked confused. The woman snapped her fingers and one of the handmaidens attending her rushed out the door only to come back in while wheeling a cart that held an object. Astrid gasped as she recognized that object as her feather cloak. The last item they needed before confronting Drago and getting back Gungnir.
"Where did you get that?" She asked surprised.
"I see you are familiar with this item." The masked woman stated. She reached out and touched Astrid's armguards only for her hand to catch fire. "Very familiar."
Astrid tried to step back and reach for her axe to give this woman a piece of her mind but frowned when she didn't feel it there.
"Your weapon is there." The empress stated and pointed to the cart. Indeed Astrid's axe had been placed next to the feather cloak.
"How?" Astrid asked as she knew no one but Hiccup and her could touch the items without getting burned.
"I lost a good handmaiden because of that item." The woman huffed but her voice didn't reflect any remorse. Astrid could guess what happened. The handmaiden touched her item and was badly burned as she lifted it onto the cart.
"Why do you even have the cloak." Astrid asked.
"Because I am the Empress." Was what the woman answered. She didn't elaborate more upon the statement and ignored Astrid when she asked why this woman needed the items.
"It is not your place to question me." The Empress growled. "You are here to supply me with power. Nothing more!"
Astrid banged on the bars as she was ignored. She saw Jun shuffle in with a tray and shouted "Why you traitorous troll!"
Jun however ignored her and presented the tray to the empress. The woman opened the lids of the various bowls. She petted Jun on the head like he was some dog and Astrid had the distinct impression that there was a gleeful smile behind that white mask.
"Jun here is a very faithful servant." The empress stated. "And for bringing you here he will be rewarded as such."
"Why do you even want us here?!" Astrid asked with a hint of trepidation.
The empress turned to her, and cocked her head to the side and spoke like someone speaking to a child. "You are here to ensure that I take my rightful place once more as the Empress of China." Astrid wanted to say something more but she heard the others on the floor stirring.
"Ah, right on time." The empress stated as she grabbed Hiccup's chin as he was looking up at her with hazy eyes.
"Hey! Get your hands off of him!" Astrid threatened.
"Or you will do what?" The woman laughed menacingly before grabbing some of the colored dust in the bowls and blowing it at Hiccup's face. Hiccup had no choice to inhale the dust. He coughed but then turned still and went to one knee with his head down. "My Empress" He said in an emotionless voice.
"Hiccup!" Astrid shouted as she saw him just stand there in sublimation. "Hiccup get the hell up!" Astrid kept shouting but nothing was working to snap Hiccup out of the trance like state the other woman had put her in. She repeated the process with Tuffnut, Snotlout, Dagur and Eret. Soon all five of them were kneeling to her.
"What the hell did you do to them you filthy she-devil!" Astrid shouted while banging on the bars. She was desperately trying to get her friends to snap out of it but nothing was working.
The woman stood straight and didn't acknowledge Astrid at all now. She turned to Jun and ordered "Bring these four to my harem and see that they are properly attired."
"As you command Empress." Jun stated, giving the tray he was holding to one of the handmaidens, before indicating for the four men to follow him.
"Hiccup!" Astrid yelled in vain as the man she had come to respect and love disappeared from the room. The empress and her servants soon also left the throne room and Astrid slumped down in sorrow inside the large bird cage that she was placed in, unable to do anything. "Hiccup" She mumbled as she looked in the direction that he had disappeared to. Stormfly, still in her tattoo, tried to comfort her. Astrid didn't know what would happen to her and her friends but she made a promise, she would do everything in her power to get them out of this and make the woman rue the day she crossed her.
Meanwhile deeper in the palace three others began to stir.
"Ugh" Heather groaned as she felt a weight on her. She tried moving but the weight above her mumbled "Nhaaaah… so soft….. Stop squirming."
"Will you get off of me!" Heather griped. She was quite annoyed and the person using her as a pillow didn't help matters. There was a bit of a scramble above her and when Heather finally managed to sit up she noticed that it was Ruffnut who had been laying on her.
"Where are we?" Heather asked as she took in her surroundings. It seems that they had been thrown into a cel. The bars looked way to sturdy to even think about filing her way through.
"Heck if I know!" Ruffnut grumbled as she rubbed her head. "Where is my brother?"
"Does this look like I care?" Heather asked.
"You should" Ruffnut mumbled. "He had the lockpicks."
"Well isn't that just peachy." Heather stated.
"Don't be a smartass." Ruffnut muttered as she stood up to inspect the bars.
"Ruff?" They heard from the cell across from them. Heather stood up as well and went to the bars. "What is he doing here?" She asked upon spotting Fishlegs across from them.
"The same thing as us." Ruffnut replied dryly. "Imprisonment."
"Wow, you really are testy without your other half." Heather muttered as she looked at her cellmate.
"You think?!" Ruffnut muttered as she yanked the bars, which didn't budge. "We really need to get out of here so that I can kill Tuffnut."
"Why?" Fishlegs asked with a bit of hesitance. He really should have kept his mouth shut because Ruff gave him a 'what-do-you-think' look.
Heather peeked out of the bars and saw several more cells a few feet away. Some of them had prisoners as well. One was relatively close and she saw a teenaged Chinese girl sit in the cell. The girl was watching them calmly. Heather spoke to the girl in Chinese "Nǐ néng lǐjiě yīngwén ma?"
"Yes I can understand you." The girl mumbled in english as she scooted closer. Heather was relieved that she could be understood. Her chinese had gotten a little rusty over the years. "Can you tell us about this place?" She asked while noticing Ruffnut unbraid her hair. She chalked that up to a crazy twin thing and didn't think about it anymore. Fishlegs had also scooted closer and was watching Heather interact with the girl.
"What is your name?" He asked. The girl startled and looked at Fishlegs. "I'm sorry. It's just that I never expected any of the men to react." She mumbled shyly. "You are the first I've seen down here. My name is Meixiu." She told them.
"Meixiu can you tell us what is going on here?" Heather asked again. The girl looked at her weirdly before asking "You don't know? Usually the Empress does not allow other women into the palace whom she doesn't trust."
"We'll help you escape if you tell us why we are here." Ruffnut mentioned as she also mumbled "Eureka". Heather turned to look at her and raised a brow when she saw her holding up a bobby pin. "I knew I still had one in there somewhere." Ruffnut proclaimed before getting to work on the lock.
"Escaping won't be of any use." Meixiu calmly told them "Just accept your fate and make peace."
"Honey, neither I nor these two are going to sit quietly while our friends and family are in danger." Heather stated. She turned to look at Fishlegs who was giving her a curious look. "Don't think anything of it. I'm going to rescue my brother and Eret." She proclaimed before saying "And then I will capture all of you and hand you over to the Master. He will be very pleased to finally have the Valkyrie in his clutches."
"Why are you even working for that guy Heather?" Fishlegs asked. They had been filled by Hiccup's parents about the Society and he really had a bad feeling about this master that was running everything.
"Why do you care?" Heather asked as she frowned slightly and then huffed, before turning back to Meixiu.
"So Meixiu" Heather said. "Do you or do you not know what is going on here?"
"I know of everything that went on until my imprisonment." The girl stated looking directly at Heather. "It was I after all who awakened the Empress."
"WHAT!" Heather, Ruffnut, and Fishlegs shouted in unison as they stared in shock at the petit girl.
AN: So... University's been a real drain on my creativity lately. Thankfully I only have courses to follow till Wednesday next week. After that I will be happily creating chapters again. I originally hadn't decided to add another OC but now that I have there will be a much more intriguing plot coming. Get ready for a mysterious side story in the ever changing adventure!